Change a Lifetime in May

May is National Foster Care Month. Today, Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, distributed a press release calling on all Americans to find a way to get involved in raising awareness about and addressing the needs of children and youth in care. While heralding the decrease in the numbers of children in foster care, Sebelius says more work is to be done to ensure all children and youth heal and have continued support.

A variety of resources are available to learn more about helping children and youth in care. At fostercaremonth.org you can learn about foster care and nationwide events occurring throughout the month under the mission of “Changing a Lifetime.” The Child Welfare Information Gateway and AdoptUSKids also has resources for raising awareness throughout May.

CWLA will be joining with other organizations to raise awareness on Capitol Hill. Together we will visit a number of Congressional offices to discuss child welfare reform, the federal budget debate, the Administration’s child welfare proposal and other pressing policy issues.

To raise awareness about the importance of connections for children and youth in foster care, each day in May, CWLA will post on our Facebook page a photo and brief bio of a person who has been touched by or works in foster care services. Please feel free to repost the bios and help us shine a light on children in foster care who need the healing power of connections to ensure their resilience and healthy development.

Finally, President Obama recognized National Foster Care Month by issuing a proclamation recognizing the promise of America’s children and youth in foster care, commending the devotion and selflessness of the foster parents who step in to care for them, and paying tribute to the professionals nationwide who work to improve the safety of our most vulnerable children.